The Favourite book
by Anna
Summary: short story about Mike's childhood. Please review


  
  
  
The Favourite Book  
  
  
  
  
  
- "It's not a good idea, Josef ", her mother declared.  
  
  
"Why?" her father asked.  
  
  
"She will have nothing to do in New York. What interesting she can see there? - she asked sarcactically, - … the smoke…the dust…the slums…such a good place!"   
  
  
"She will see the life as it is…" - father objected, - she needs it if she wants ever to be a doctor.  
Mother just shrugged, but her daughter couldn't see this.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The girl was standing outside the door, listening her parents arguing. She was the youngest of five sisters and everybody called her "Pa's girl". That was the truth - now she wished so much to travel with him… didn't matter where…  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Well," Mother said, "but it isn't a picnic. You 're going to visit the hospital there and to meet Dr.Warvick. And what about her?"   
  
"She'll wait for me for a while, but later we can buy some books for her."  
  
  
"Well," Mother said again "I'll agree, if you insist."  
  
  
  
The girl was so excited! Mother let her go!!! She ran downstairs, singing aloud: "I'm going to New York with Pa!"  
  
  
"Why are you shoutin' like a street kid?" her elder sister asked. "There's nothing interesting there…"  
  
  
"You'll never understand me!" the younger sister interrupted, and ran to her room to pack…  
  
  
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New York City was more dusty, more noisy than Boston. Much more…But she was there with her Pa, and she was happy.  
  
  
They arrived to Warvick's hospital at midday. "Don't be bored." Father told her, "I'll be back in about an hour or two."  
  
  
  
She wasn't going to be bored - there was a new book: "The Life of David Copperfield", by Charles Dickens, in her handbag, and a half of it was unread yet - it would be enough before he'll be back.  
  
  
…She'd read all the book through…then looked around…then walked around the hall many times…According to the clock, she was waiting more than three hours! When her father discusses medical problems, - she sighed, - he can forget about everything.  
Getting more and more annoyed, she finally opened the door and walked away…  
  
  
She walked slowly, looking around the street. When Pa will remember about her, it will be too late to buy the books… But she could buy them by herself! She had some money in her pocket…or in her handbag? She stopped and opened her handbag to check for money.… Suddenly she felt somebody snatch it out of her hand. It was the street kid - tall and red-haired.  
"It's mine!" she cried, but the boy only laughed.  
  
  
"IT'S MINE!!!" she screamed again. She pushed him furiously, but that seemed the same as trying to move the wall… He muttered some swear words and raised his hand against her. She was frightened, and rushed away from him …  
  
  
She ran. .and ran…there were now unknown streets around her, narrow and dirty. The girl had no idea where she was… She was still afraid and angry for this awful tramp.   
  
Nobody ever tried to beat her! She was so angry and frightened, that she couldn't think of anything else.  
  
She lifted her head …and stood frozen in horror: the carriage rushed at full speed right on her!  
  
  
But next moment somebody's hand pushed her out of the way. She fell on the ground, but quickly jumped up looking on her rescuer …This was a boy about her age, his bright-blue eyes looked at her with anger and concern at same time:  
  
  
"Hey, you," he said, "Are you sure you want to die like this? Next time just look where you're going!"  
  
  
Obviously, he also was a street kid - his clothes looked old and torn, and his hair was too long and disheveled. But she wasn't afraid of him…  
  
  
"Are you lost?" he asked   
  
  
"No. I'm…I'm just walkin' around…" - she didn't want to confess  
  
  
"Here?" he wondered, "Around the docks? It's a bad place for the girls like you…And you look very upset…"- he added more softly  
  
  
"You're right," she sighed, "I've lost my way"  
  
  
Now he looked on her sympathetically, and she got angry again: "I don't need your sympathy. One of your friends just stole my handbag…Perhaps, you even know who he is "  
  
  
"Do you remember - what he looks like?" he asked.  
  
  
She shut her eyes, trying to remember  
  
  
"He was tall… with red wavy hair…blue jacket…"  
  
  
"That's Will," the boy said and then took her hand: "Let's go!"  
"Where?" she released her hand. "Where are you going?"  
  
  
"I'm going to give you back your stuff.…Come on!"  
  
  
She tried to protest, but finally followed him …Anyway, she didn't know the way back to her Pa.  
  
  
"Somebody must be looking for you." he said. "You're not from around here?"  
  
  
"I'm from Boston, I'm here with my Pa. He's a doctor…And where you live?  
He shrugged:  
- Right here, in docks.  
- What about your family?"- she wondered  
  
  
"I have no family," he answered shortly, and she felt that her question hurt him, and this is a time to change the subject: "How will you get my bag back ? This guy is awful big! I tried to push him…"  
  
  
"You tried to fight with him?" he laughed, "You're definitely a brave girl."  
  
  
"My favourite book was in my handbag, it's a birthday gift from Pa. I don't want to lose it."  
  
  
"Don't worry," he told her…  
  
  
She didn't worry anymore. He was just a boy about her age - but she felt like she was under reliable protection.  
  
  
The place where they came was very unpleasant. Great heaps of boxes and dirty sacks were scattered all over, and she was sure , she saw a big rat, passing by.  
  
  
Then she noticed a group of tattered boys and girls of different ages sitting there around the fire, and red-haired tramp was amongst them.  
  
  
"Hey, Will, would you come here for a minute?" the boy asked.  
  
  
"What do you want?" said Will unfriendly .He still held her bag.  
  
  
"Give this back to her…"  
  
  
"WHAT?! You're crazy? It's more than three bucks!"  
  
  
"Give it back," the boy repeated, "You've frightened her. Will, it's not man's business - to rob the girls…"  
  
  
"I thought you were one of us," Will said.  
  
  
"I am. But I ask you - give it back. I'll take care of todays meal…promise."  
  
  
"You're exactly crazy" Will poked her the bag and turned away…  
  
  
"He wanted to sell your bag and to buy some food for the whole band," the boy explained.  
  
  
She was very ashamed…They were hungry… She thought that Will was just a robber, but he stole her bag because all those kids had nothing to eat…She never knew what is it to starve , but had heard as her father told her about poor families and homeless kids…She wished she would have thought better before..  
  
  
She took off her bracelet:" I'm sorry, I didn't know! I didn't want to lose Pa's gift, but ..but take this! It's more expensive…You can buy more food"  
  
  
The boy shook his head stubbornly: "No. Take it back. I'll find a way."  
  
  
"If you don't want it - I have some money…"  
  
  
"No!" he said again.- That's my problem.   
But she was stubborn as well and didn't want to give up.  
  
  
"Well.. I'm hungry too… I haven't eaten anything since early this morning. I'll buy something…wait!"  
  
  
Thirty minutes later she was sitting among those street kids by the fire, holding the rumpled tin cup with hot tea. It was not so clean, but she drank her tea with all her courage, trying not to look inside the cup.   
  
  
She brought some wheat bread and ham, and all the band enjoyed the fresh meal. Seemed, she was happy too…and she wasn't afraid of them anymore. On the contrary, she really had fun, talking and laughing with them. She was proud when Will told her that she's " one of them, through and through"  
  
  
But then she had heard the clock's beat…eight times .It was 8 p.m.!!! She jumped up from the box she was sitting on: "Oh, my God! My father…"  
  
  
"Where is he?" her new friend asked.  
  
  
"He is at the Hospital. It's a large yellow building, and there's a church near it…"  
  
  
He nodded: "I know where is this church. I'll show you the way."  
  
  
She shook about a dozen dirty hands and then followed her acquainted boy.  
  
  
Finally she noticed the hospital building and her father , nervously pacing back and forth  
  
  
"Thank you" she said, turning to her new friend..  
  
  
"You're welcome," the boy answered "It's a pity that you have no other books with you…Nobody reads books at the docks. I miss reading…"  
  
  
"You can read?" she wondered.  
  
  
"Yes. My Ma taught me…" he quickly turned away, but she noticed that his eyes were full of tears, "Here is the Hospital. Bye."- he muttered, avoiding to look at her.   
  
  
"Wait! - she stopped him, - "Take it!"  
  
  
"No," he protested, - "it's your father's gift"  
  
  
"Take it…please," she asked, and added softly:- I want you to remember me…  
  
"Thank you…- he smiled a bit, - Sure, I'll remember you…Look- your father's calling you!"  
  
  
Her father ran toward her: "Thank God!" he exclaimed at first… "Where've you been?" he asked a next moment very angrily.  
  
  
"I'm sorry, Pa! …I 've lost my way, and… " she turned back but the boy disappeared…She didn't even ask his name!  
  
Next morning they left New York. She decided not to tell her parents about her adventure, or that she spent time with the street kids. It would be too much for her mother, and father was still angry and didn't want to talk with her…  
  
  
She remembered this case for a long time, but the years passed, and finally she had forgotten her small adventure …  
  
  
  
  
  
  
- ----------------------------   
- Michaela smiled at her memories, looking at Brian's bookshelf…She remembered all this again, when she noticed there this book - "The Life of David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens…  
  
  
Why hadn't she remembered it before? Why she never told Sully about it - he lived in NY in his childhood…like this street kid who helped her…he lived in New York docks, when he was 10…when she was 12…  
  
  
She feverishly tried to remember the features of this street kid with unusually good manners and bright blue eyes… When she met Sully the first time, she thought, that she had only seen such an eye colour once before, but couldn't remember where…Why had she never remembered this case before?!  
  
  
When Sully comes back from the National Park, I'll ask him one question…- Michaela decided.  
  
  
But she was sure that she knows the answer even now…  
  
  
  
  



End file.
